Light In The Window
by suddenlysomewherethatsgreen
Summary: Pre Musical fluff piece: it's Christmas time in the shop. Two friends are brought much closer by secrets and hearts being shared.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Little Shop Of Horrors or All I Want For Christmas Is You by Carla Thomas_

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The times Mr. Mushnik left the shop to run errands used to be Seymour's least favorite of times. He loathed being stuck with whatever sorry excuse for a coworker he had at the time, making small talk in between criticism. It was almost worse than being alone. Not that Mr. Mushnik was more welcoming. Now they were what he most looked forward to. It meant he was alone with Audrey. The two of them could be a little bit louder, move about a bit more freely and be a bit more open without fear of judgement. One day at the beginning of winter just a few months after Audrey had started working he found himself in such a circumstance. It wasn't more than late afternoon but darkness had already closed in on Skid Row. Snow had arrived earlier in heavy white flakes, but after being tossed around on the dirty street they were nothing but brown slush. Nothing about Skid Row felt Christmasy or festive in the slightest.

"Do you celebrate Christmas, Seymour?" Audrey thought out loud, not looking up from the holiday bouquet she was concentrating on.

Seymour glanced at her from across the shop and shrugged a shoulder. "Umm, no. I guess I could now if I wanted, I just never have. Mr. Mushnik never did so…"

He trailed off. This confused Audrey greatly. What did Mr. Mushnik celebrating holidays have anything to do with Seymour? She reached across the counter for the scissors.

"What about Hanukkah?"

He shook his head. "No not really. I don't know too much about it. He never invited me to celebrate it."

Audrey twisted her mouth in confusion and began to pick through a pile of red roses to find the right size.

"Well, are you going to see your family for the holidays?"

Seymour looked away from her and into a potted poinsettia in the shop window. He knew this was bound to come up at one time or another. He took a deep breath.

"I don't have a family."

Audrey's hands, which had been busy building her bouquet, froze. Her jaw dropped for a moment before realizing how rude she was being, and she brought her hand to her chin.

"Oh Seymour," she murmured, "I'm… I'm so sorry... I… I didn't know."

"Hey Audrey, it's okay." She was surprised to see a small smile forming at the corner of his mouth. "I moved in here when I was 11, so I have a new family."

In an attempt to make her laugh he motioned his arm to an array of green plants. It worked and she giggled a bit behind her hand. An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before Audrey smoothed her hands on her skirts and looked at him.

"11?"

Seymour nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, Mr. Mushnik took me in. I owe him everything really."

She made a connection. "Is that why you live downstairs?" She asked, more bluntly than she intended.

"Yeah. I moved down there as soon as I saved enough for a bed."

Audrey looked puzzled. "Well where did you sleep before?"

He moved forward toward her and tapped his knuckles on the counter. Her eyes widened in shock.

"Really?"

Seymour smiled at her reaction. He had no idea why it was so easy to talk to her. He had never had a friend before, and he liked it. Before he could stop himself he found himself opening up further, and telling her about his life in the home. He listed his guardians by name and described sleeping in a cramped dormitory with 10 other boys. All the while Audrey kept her eyes fixed on him in interest. It made sense. An unwanted Skid Row child, growing up in a home where he wasn't wanted or loved, immediately moving to a job where he was constantly jested at and criticized. It made sense for him to have a wall up, anyone would. But that wall didn't exist with Audrey. It came down brick by brick as he talked that day.

"I came to work straight here…" he trailed off as a sad realization fell across his face. His head fell and he stared at his shoes. Old and worn on a checkered linoleum floor. "So I've never even left Skid Row."

"Me neitha'."

Seymour lifted his head. "Really?"

Audrey pressed her lips together and shook her head. Her eyes fell back on her bouquet as she rearranged the baby's breath.

"To tell you the truth," a hopeful smile formed on her lips, "I'd really like to."

A daydream she'd often had played behind Audrey's eyes and she gazed off. The corner of her mouth stayed twitched in smile. Seymour bit his lip and pondered this. He didn't like the idea of Audrey leaving.

He sighed. "I don't think I could."

Audrey's hands froze again and she stared at him.

"I mean… who would run the shop?" He stated as if it were obvious.

Audrey's lips formed a pout. He was tied to this shop and she understood his reasons behind that. But also she knew there was no way he'd ever be satisfied in this life.

"Seymour I think you oughta' raise your expectations."

He looked lost.

She tried to find the right words. This shop was Mushnik's dream, not Seymour's. He was only a pawn. If Seymour was gone tomorrow Mushnik would just replace him without a second thought. Though Audrey glanced down at her hands still holding the baby's breath and knew she wasn't one to judge.

Lacking the right words she changed the subject.

"If you COULD go somewhere else, where would you?"

Seymour ran a hand through his hair and gazed off.

"Gee Audrey, I don't know. I've never been anywhere else. I wouldn't know what to compare it to."

"But if you COULD?" she pressed.

His eyes fell on a planted pot by the back door and he smiled.

"I suppose… if I could go somewhere else… I'd want to go somewhere that's green."

Audrey made a short squeaking gasp and dropped the rose she was holding from her grip.

"What?" he asked.

She reached down under the counter for the flower, erupting in a fit of giggles. Rising up she didn't answer but beamed and shook her head, repressing her laughter as much as she could.

Seymour couldn't help but smile as well. "What about you? Where would you go?"

Audrey had paused her bouquet building for the time being. Her eyes panned along the counter to a magazine she had left on top.

"Well… ya know Levittown?"

"Yes?"

She bit her lip and kept her eyes fixed on the magazine. "Well it's kinda…" She abruptly snapped back. Turning to Seymour she gave him a short smile and turned her face down to her bouquet, pretending to have a sudden interest in it.

Seymour didn't understand what she had meant but he understood she didn't want to share. That was fine. He moved his gaze to her magazine. "Better Homes And Gardens" read the cover. She'd often brought these in and when business was slow she would sit at the counter for hours entrapped by it's pictures. Sometimes glancing over her shoulder Seymour was able to catch a glimpse. There were families and houses and dishwashers. All the things in life he'd never had. He understood now. It was a magazine full of dreams. As much as he'd like those things he knew they were impossible. They'd always remain dreams. Seymour knew not to waste his time dreaming.

Seymour glanced out at the window. It had begun snowing again.

"Somewhere that's warm?" He suggested, attempting to finish her thought.

She smiled and nodded. "Somewhere that's bright," she added.

He smiled back at her and dragged his foot across the dirty tile. "Somewhere that's clean."

She moved her eyes to her hands and fumbled with her nails. "Somewhere that's far," she sighed.

"Somewhere that's… safe." He glanced out at the dark street hearing a faint echo of a siren.

Barely audible at all, Audrey whispered to herself, "somewhere that's green."

Suddenly startled by how open she was becoming she glanced at the clock. "Mista Mushnik should be back soon."

Seymour nodded as his heart began to sink. They'd soon have to go back to being just Audrey and Seymour again. Not even that. Audrey and Krelborn. He wasn't ready. Seymour thought back. Audrey had never called him that. Even from the first day they met he had always been "Seymour". He was never just "Seymour" to anyone before.

He began to wring his hands as he turned toward the front window, back to the poinsettias he had been toying with earlier. Glancing at the corner of his eye he saw Audrey again. She looked so radiant in her dress, even redder than the roses she was arranging.

Finishing her bouquet she brushed her hands on her skirt and forged a smile. The shop felt melancholy. It shouldn't, it's Christmas, she thought. An idea struck her and she reached over and turned on the radio resting on the counter. At first it was just static. She turned the dials catching a word or a note from a song every so often. Seymour watched her do this, baffled. Finally she found what she was looking for and sat back with a satisfied grin as the sounds of christmas carols warmly filled the shop. Seymour pondered this. He had heard these songs in passing before, but having not celebrated Christmas they were hollow. Audrey watched as his crooked smile spread slowly on his mouth and he nodded as if to say he approved. Audrey toddled on her feet as she slowly swayed to the music. She spun around briefly before she paused and remembered she was at work, not home. Hastily she glanced at Seymour to see if he noticed. Unfortunately for her he had, but for the sake of her dignity he pretended he hadn't and kept his eyes fixed on his plant biting back a smile. Suddenly the beat changed to a slow melody and he heard Audrey inhale a small gasp. He looked up to see her beaming with her hands on her heart.

"I really like this one," she explained in a whisper.

Slowly she moved over to the radio and turned the dial up. The sound of Carla Thomas radiated from the small brown box.

 _Let the kiddies have the toys_

 _Let the grown-ups make the noise_

 _Give the neighbors all the presents_

 _Under the tree_

Audrey was swaying more purposefully now. She had closed her eyes and was rolling her head to the beat. Seymour tried not to stare but was mesmerized.

 _Give the snow and mistletoe_

 _To the ones who love them so_

 _But you'll be quiet enough_

 _For me_

She had opened her eyes and smiled wide at him. He smiled and tried to hide his blushing.

 _When old Santa rides his sleigh_

 _He can please me right away_

 _With a present that forever will be new_

Audrey had began to twirl again and Seymour exhaled a small laugh of admiration. Her red dress rippled and shined in the light of the shop's lamps. Seymour thought that if he was someone else he'd go over and dance with her, twirl and dip her like in the movies. But he just watched, wishing.

 _Tell him my poor heart will sing_

 _If one gift he'll only bring..._

Audrey opened her mouth and sang along with the next part.

" _For all I want for Christmas is you."_

Seymour felt his heart flutter. There were truth in these words. Still spinning and swaying, Audrey continued to sing, putting on quite a show. The music had bewitched her and she was no longer timid.

" _When old Santa rides his sleigh_

 _He can please me right away_

 _With a present that forever will be new_

 _Tell him my poor heart will sing_

 _If one gift he'll only bring…"_

Across the shop a quiet voice joined her.

" _For all I want for Christmas…"_

A smile broke out across her face and they harmonized together.

" _Is yooooou"_

All Audrey could think in that moment was what a shame it was that Mushnik didn't sell mistletoe.

The song on the radio quickly changed to a fast paced Jingle bells. Audrey laughed at the drastic change of mood and strode over to turn it down. Seymour was wondering if what he was feeling was Christmas joy or something else.

She was much more rigid than he was. He wondered why that was. It had taken her the longest time to even hold a conversation with Seymour, though he couldn't imagine she was a shy person. They'd been working together for a few short months now and she was never eager to share anything. He didn't even know her last name. He wished she would open up, though he'd understand if she didn't. Suddenly he realized he'd been hoarding the conversation.

"What about you Audrey?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"Are you going to visit your family for the holidays?"

"Oh… no."

She gazed down at her hands as she fumbled with her nails. It took her a minute or so to respond. Audrey thought about all he had just told her about himself and how much courage that must've taken. She sighed before finally answering.

"It was just my mama and me my whole life," as she spoke she moved toward the window. The snow had grown heavier, but without the window one would never know. It was so warm in the shop.

"And now… well…"

She didn't need to finish. Seymour understood.

"Oh Audrey, I am so so sorry." He moved swiftly to her side. She could have laughed at this. After what he just shared with her there was no reason she should be the one being comforted. She looked out at the snow for another few seconds before she turned to face him and smiled.

"It's alright Seymour. It's like you said." She looked into his blue eyes still flushed with worry and felt, for the first time in her life, very safe. In the last moment before the ring of the bell on the door interrupted their heart to heart sending both of them back to their reality, she broke through her wall. "I have a new family."


End file.
